Igbo Festivals Things Fall Apart

Here in America, people celebrate all types of fun festivals. People never really stop and think about other festivals that other religions celebrate. Chinua Achebe, in Things Fall Apart, writes about many different festivals and what happened during these times. Okonkwo’s father loved the festivals when they came around because he would always play his flute. In the novel, Achebe shows how traditional Igbo festivals honors gods, the importance of Igbo festivals, and how important music is to most of the Igbo people.
Traditional Igbo festivals do many things to honor their gods. Whether it is their personal gods, or the main gods, every single thing they do, honors a god. During the Yam Festival, joy was spread all throughout the villages. The Feast of the New Yam is an “Occasion for giving thanks to Ani, the earth goddess and the source of all fertility” (Achebe 36). According to africaresource.com, Ala is worshipped by the Igbo of Nigeria and is annually paid homage to during the Yam
According to reference.com the Week of Peace is celebrated in the Igbo culture as a means of expressing gratitude and humility, as well as teaching people to be peaceful. It was originally created to pay tribute to Ani, who is the Earth mother goddess (“What is the Week of Peace in Igbo culture?”) The week of peace is one of the most important festivals Igbo people celebrate. It is to honor Ani. During this week, no work can be done, and no violent acts can be seen. If a man beat someone on the week of peace, he will have to “bring to the shrine of Ani . . . one she-goat, one hen, a length of cloth and a hundred cowries” (Achebe 31). It is very rare for someone to beat someone, or to break the rules of the tribes. No matter for what reason, or to who. If a man found one of his wives with another man, he could still not hurt anyone. Paying the fine of animals and cloth, is better than being banished from the clan for